From a media release:

The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) proudly unveils the distinguished recipients of the Rockies Gala Awards, recognizing some of the entertainment industry’s most influential business figures and most talented creatives. These prestigious awards will be bestowed on the evening of June 10^th, as part of the 45^th edition of the Festival taking place June 9 – 12, 2024 at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta, Canada.

Hosting the Festival’s flagship honours is Emmy Award winning Executive Producer, Correspondent, Director and Writer Allana Harkin. Allana has garnered ten Emmy nominations for her work over seven seasons on TBS’s Full Frontal with Samantha Bee where she was the show’s first on-air correspondent. As well as starring in numerous television shows Allana has written and directed for Amazon, Nick Jr., TBS, TNT CBC, CTV and Hulu. Most recently she directed and executive produced the series Nesting for Crave which has been nominated for a 2024 Banff World Media Festival Rockie Award and is the host of the upcoming podcast series “How Dare You with Allana Harkin”. She can be found @allanaharkin.

The first round of recipients of the Rockies Gala Awards are as follows:

INCLUSION AWARD: Robin Roberts (Good Morning America, Rock’n Robin Productions)

Presented by A+E Media Group, the Inclusion Award recognizes an individual whose efforts and vision in media champion and reflect the diversity of the world in which we live. Past Honorees include: Vivica A. Fox, Danielle Brooks, LeVar Burton, Jonathan Murray and Elizabeth Vargas.

CREATIVE VOICE AWARD: Renée Elise Goldsberry (Girls5eva, Hamilton original cast)

The creative voice award is bestowed on an executive or creative talent that has created outstanding work that breaks through, inspiring and connecting global audiences. Past honourees include Rose Matafeo and Jennifer Podemski.

SIR PETER USTINOV COMEDY AWARD: Tom Green (The Trades, Freddy Got Fingered, Charlie’s Angels)

The award recognizes a creative talent who has made an outstanding comedic contribution to the media industry. Past honourees include: Kenan Thompson, Sean Hayes, John Cleese, Tracey Ullman, Bob Newhart, Tantoo Cardinal, John Candy, Bill Hader, Ana Gasteyer and Craig T. Robinson.

INNOVATIVE PRODUCER AWARD: Attraction

Presented by Lionsgate, the Innovative Producer Award recognizes the entrepreneurial excellence and achievements of an independent producer in TV/digital media. Past honorees include: Eagle Vision, Sinking Ship Entertainment, Wattpad Studios, Scott Brothers Entertainment, New Metric Media, Wolf + Rabbit, Don Carmody and marblemedia.

CANADIAN AWARD OF DISTINCTION: Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (Avatar: The Last Airbender, Kim’s Convenience)

Presented by the Canada Media Fund (CMF/FMC) and MadeNous, the award is given to a Canadian whose body of work exemplifies outstanding achievement in the entertainment industry. Past honourees include:  Simu Liu, Eric McCormack, Kim Cattrall, Sheila Hockin and Jean-Marc Vallée.

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE: Kevin Beggs, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, Lionsgate Television Group and Chair of the Board of Directors, BANFF Television Festival Foundation

The Award of Excellence acknowledges exceptional achievement through a body of work over an extended period of time. Past honourees include: Sharon Horgan, Paul Feig, Jeremy Podeswa, Kenny Ortega, Eugene Levy, Carol Mendelsohn and David E. Kelley.

“We’re thrilled to announce the incredible hosts of our awards shows and our esteemed Rockie Award Gala recipients. Each of these accomplished individuals and companies have left an indelible mark and made profound contributions in shaping the landscape of the entertainment industry,” said Jenn Kuzmyk, Executive Director. “We’re looking forward to celebrating their achievements and creativity in grand style at the festival.”

On the following evening, Tuesday June 11th, BANFF will feature the juried Rockie Awards International Program Competition, hosted by Jasmeet Raina (creator and star of the Crave Original series Late Bloomer). Timed at the kickoff to Emmy Award nomination voting, this global competition attracts participation from more than 45 countries and boasts an international jury of 150 senior entertainment industry professionals. Category winners, including the Grand Jury Prize, the Rogers Prize for Canadian Content, the Emerging Talent Prize, the Prix Francophone Prize, and other special prizes, will be announced during the Festival on June 11^th.

Additional Rockies Award Gala recipients will be revealed at the ceremony.

From a media release:

The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) is pleased to announce the 2024 Rockie Awards International Program Competition Nominees, recognizing excellence in television and digital media from around the globe. The Rockie Awards ceremony will be held in-person as well as live-streamed during this year’s Festival on Tuesday, June 11^th at 5:30pm MT (4:30pm PT/ 7:30pm ET).

The Rockie Awards Grand Jury chooses the coveted Grand Jury Prize, selected from the top-scoring programs across the entire field of nominees. This year’s esteemed Grand Jury includes:

Javiera Balmaceda
Head of Originals, Latin America, CA & AU at Amazon MGM Studios

Julie Chang (above)
EVP, Business Strategy & Co-Productions at Blue Ant Media

Prentiss Fraser
President, TV Distribution at Fifth Season

Nichole T. Roberts
Head of Unscripted at Hoorae

Michael Thorn
President, Scripted Programming at FOX Entertainment 

Morgan Wandell
Head of International Content Development at Apple TV+

“We’re delighted to unveil the nominees for this year’s Rockie Awards, a field that truly embodies excellence and innovation within our industry. This is the best of the best across international content. Deep appreciation goes to the esteemed members of the Grand Jury, whose discerning adjudication elevates the program immeasurably,” said Jenn Kuzmyk, Executive Director. 

In addition to the Grand Jury Prize, the $25,000 Rogers Prize for Excellence in Canadian Content, awarded to the top Canadian production and the Prix Francophone for the top French language production will also be awarded as well as other special awards. In total, 30 awards will be bestowed in the category streams of Documentary & Factual, Arts & Entertainment, Children & Youth, Scripted, and Podcast, in addition to the presentation of several Rockies Gala Awards to be announced soon.

Leading nominations by company are:

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) – 22 nominations
• 20^th Television – 8 nominations
• Sky – 5 nominations

Leading nominations by country are:

• USA – 51 nominations
• UK – 50 nominations
• Canada – 40 nominations
• France – 8 nominations
• Germany – 7 nominations
• Taiwan – 6 nominations

Additional countries represented in the nominations are:

• Australia
• Belgium
• India
• Ireland
• Italy
• Japan
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Singapore
• South Korea
• Spain
• The Netherlands
• Wales

FOR THE FULL LIST OF NOMINEES, PLEASE VISIT: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16zvZwg34SHW190DzBYx35AY5RGtxcRrvMGnLa_nK5VQ/edit?usp=sharing

About the Rockie Awards:

With a 45-year legacy, the Rockie Awards International Program Competition is open to genres and platforms including drama, non-fiction, digital, kids, youth and podcasts. Timed in the heart of awards voting season, the prestigious Banff World Media Festival competition recognizes excellence in global television and digital content. Entries from more than 45 countries compete each year, and winners are selected by an international industry jury of 150+ senior entertainment and media professionals.